Dueck's Roost

Okay, so I guess I lied about the Ross Lake post being next. I forgot about this scenic hike we took towards the end of August. Kevin wanted to show one of his coworkers (new to hiking) a moderate trail and, although we had never ventured out on this particular trek before, we had heard good things about it.  Rattlesnake Ridge/Ledge is a 4 mile hike with 1160 ft elevation gain. WTA.org describes it as  "a fine hike on a well maintained, albeit busy trail through the forest with views of the Cedar River watershed, Mount Si, Mount Washington, Rattlesnake Lake and Chester Morse Lake".  That said, here's my feedback on the hike: We ventured out on a beautiful day so that was an immediate plus! Parking was a bit tricky, but we managed to find a spot. WTA's description of RR being a "busy trail" is very accurate, which makes it not super great for a large family with young children--if you fall into that category, pack your patience and be prepared...

To get ready for the boys' end-of-summer High Adventure (see next post) we decided to buy shorty wetsuits. On a beautiful August day Kevin took the kids to a nearby lake to try them out.  I couldn't pick which pictures to post, so I decided to use pretty much all of them:-)! I really don't have a lot to say about the pics, other than they show what we like so much about living in the Pacific NW. It's definitely too cloudy and rainy for the most part--that much is absolutely true! But, it's also green and lush, and no matter where you are there is probably a lake just a few minutes away. Of course, we especially love living here in the SUMMER!!!   That said, here they are ... 

Scout Camp 2014! Where to start?! I obviously wasn't there so don't really know the details of what occurred, but I don't think it's too difficult to figure out;) ...  Boys arrived excited for a week of low-parental supervision, few to no showers/baths, a snack shack full of candies and sodas for sale, and lots of crazy adventure!  Boys had awesome time making a barrel raft as a group! (Get a good look at Kevin in this pic--second from the left--because although he was there all week with the boys, this is the ONLY picture he actually made it into.) Boys hauled barrel raft down to the water.  And got all geared up for a barrel race (I'm really just guessing here, but looks likely to me).  Race didn't move along too quickly but they definitely had a lot of fun! Boys had a great time at this beautiful lake!! In addition to barrel racing, boys also got in their share of canoeing.  Boys had fun in the beautiful sunshine!! ...

And for some final, fast and furious pics from July!!  James striking a pose at 11-year-old Scout Camp. The poster the kids made for us for our 15th wedding anniversary. The fortunate I got and thought was way super exciting (although it didn't actually come true):-)!! Joseph getting his first real dental exam (very fascinating and post-worthy--I know;).  And Porter and G-ma Loo during one of their final piano lessons together. (He's since moved on to a new, more advanced teacher.) Nuff said! Moving on to August ... 

Oh goodness, where to start?! The Jacobs Family Reunion!  My dad's from a big fun family of 12 (10 kids and my amazing grandparents--both now passed on). When I was a kid, we got together every year for an exciting week of camping. Exciting because there were a TON of cousins to play with, exciting because we had volleyball tournaments and foot races of all sorts, exciting because you never knew what else we'd be up to--like riding horses up in the hills, repelling from a cliff face, putting on wonky fashion shows with bags of old clothes, or building small swimming dams/holes along the river.   Now my kids get to enjoy some of the same excitement (on a bi-annual basis). There are now a TON MORE cousins to play with (although, of course the dynamics have changed somewhat since we've grown), volleyball and foot races remain, and you still never know what fun thing someone will think up next.  As always, the kids had a great time by the river/stream playing wi...